Every Wednesday is Domestic Science day at Living Behind the Curve.

For some unknown reason, many people see beef bourguignon as a mysterious, complicated, unattainable dish, placing it firmly alongside coq au vin in the “things you only eat in restaurants” category. Maybe it’s the name that’s intimidating; if so, call it beef burgundy and get on with life. This wine-based beef stew is excellent fodder your your slow cooker, and the acidity of the wine plus the slow cooking time means that you can safely use a nice cheap cut of meat. We like this over rice or egg noodles, with a healthy dollop of sour cream on top.

Slow Cooked Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped
• 3 lb. beef roast
• 375 ml. (1/2 bottle) red wine
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 lb. celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

Standard Slow Cooker Method:
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker on low and cook for 4-5 hours.

SRSLY Method:
Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized ziptop bag and freeze.  When ready to cook, cut from bag and place directly in crock pot, frozen.  Cook at low heat for 6-8 hours.

Every Wednesday is Domestic Science day at Living Behind the Curve.

Yesterday afternoon, after the second of two job interviews, I dropped by my local thrift store. I noticed that there was a new painting on the window, and took a step back to take in the whole picture.

“A stocking? Wait, no. It can’t be. That’s not an elf, either. There’s no way. Damn. That thing over there is definitely a badly-drawn reindeer. What the hell?” I shook my head and walked through the door. Everything seemed normal, until I got to the housewares section, where there were rows upon rows of red and green merchandise. Dozens of hand-made stuffed trees fought wooden snowmen for shelf space, and two little old ladies wrestled over snowflake-shaped doilies.

Yeah, okay, so maybe there was no wrestling.

It took me a minute to realize that this particular store had not hit paydirt at a Claus family estate sale: it’s Christmas in July. (The prices, BTW? No better than you’d pay in December, at least at this store.) And so, in honor of the winter season of consumption being just six months away, I thought I’d offer up one of our favorite winter beverages.

In the winter of 2006, when we went caroling with a group of friends, Mer conjured this recipe this past winter to keep us toasty. It’s grown-up cocoa with a spicy kick, and it goes very well with cognac. It does require some advanced preparation in the form of a homemade cordial, however, so you might want to start soon.

Mer’s Kick-Ass Spiced Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vodka
• 2 ounces dried chipotle peppers
• 2 cups simple syrup ( 1 1/2 cups sugar dissolved in 1 1/2 cups water), cooled
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup whole coffee beans
• pinch salt

Combine vodka, peppers, and simple syrup in a glass jar and seal tightly. Set in a dark place and allow to steep for a minimum of 3-4 weeks undisturbed. Strain and re-bottle in a clean jar.*

In a small saucepan, cook 2 teaspoons of the reserved chipotle cordial over very low heat until reduced by half. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa, sugar, and 1/2 cup milk. Pour mixture into a pot set over low heat and whisk in 1/2 teaspoon chipotle syrup, remaining milk, cream, salt, and coffee beans. Drop in cinnamon stick and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. Strain and serve warm.

Serves 2-4.

*You will have chipotle cordial left over; bottled, it makes a wonderful gift; it’s a sweeter, more sophisticated version of Absolut Peppar.

Every Tuesday is Kitchen Sink day at Living Behind the Curve.

I was checking out the search keywords that have hit Living Behind The Curve, and I noticed that there were a lot of questions nestled in there among the stranger requests. Since my blessed readers don’t seem too keen on asking questions directly, I figured I’d take today to answer the inquiries that have floated in from the internet ether.

how long to fry a funnel cake? Until it’s appealingly golden brown. I looked at about a dozen recipes, and most of them essentially say “cook it till it’s done”. The rest generally agree with my rule of thumb in high-temp cooking, which is to give your funnel cake about 2 minutes per side, and adjust from there to your preferences.

how much vinegar to clean kettle? You probably won’t need more than a cup, but as always, it depends on the size of your kettle.
how do i cook beef shin on bone? You braise it. Srsly.

I’ve also gotten a lot of hits for “curves no pasta salad“, enough that we’re the number one site returned. I decided to look it up, and it turns out that the Curves gym franchise has either a cookbook or a set of recipes, and their No-Pasta Salad has gained almost mythical status. Partly, the recipe doesn’t seem to exist outside of the Google cache, which is unfortunately beyond the scope of the average netizen, so it’s a little like finding Sasquatch. The other bit of the myth seems to come from the ingredient list, which is so absurdly all over the map, it may just taste a little like Sasquatch, too. Of course, almost nobody knows what it tastes like, because nobody in their right mind is going to spend more than 20 bucks for the ingredients and more than an hour chopping all this junk for a salad.

I’ve rescued the recipe for… well, I honestly don’t know what the hell it’s for, but I’m sort of convinced that this needs to be better preserved on the internet. Try it if you like. I’ve mostly been pointing and laughing.

Prep time: 25 minutes (not counting overnight refrigeration)

1 cup small cauliflower florets
1 cup baby carrots, cut in half
1 cup mushrooms, cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons water
1 cup snow peas, cut into pieces
14 ounce can artichoke hearts, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
1/4 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup frozen green peas
2 (6 ounce) cans water packed solid white albacore tuna, drained
3 ounces cheddar cheese, diced
1 cup Fat Free Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

Combine cauliflower florets, baby carrots, mushrooms and water in a bowl. Cover tightly and microwave for 5 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes, covered. Drain completely, then pat vegetables dry. Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight.
Makes 4 (1 1/2 cup) servings.

Per Serving - Calories 302, Fat 12.5g, Protein 25g, carbs 23g

I… can’t possibly be funnier than that salad. Over and out.

We participated in a number of festivals and carnivals this week (and even made editor’s choice!); here are some of our favorite entries from each.

Broke-Ass Student kicked off the week by hosting the Carnival of Personal Finance. Moneymonk asked, “What is Considered an Emergency?“, a post that hits very close to home this week, as did The Cost of Financial Independance by Money Ning and Blunt Money’s 4 Good Reasons not to Raid the 401(k). Our post from last Friday, Sweatin’ to the Low-Calorie, Fat-Free South Beach Cabbage Soup Finance was picked as a host favorite.

Also on Tuesday, Mr. Credit Card welcomed everyone to the 82nd Festival of Frugality by weaving the festival’s posts into a conversation between a father and son. There were some great tips to be found in How to Reduce the Cost of Running a House at UK House Prices, and a great take on why we do what we do in The Simple Dollar’s When Frugality is Fun. Our contribution was Making Memories, Saving Money.

Later in the week, the Carnival of Ethics, Values, and Personal Finance was posted at Money and Values. I found inspiration in How to Quit Your Job at Advice and Rants, and Christine Kane’s Are You Saving Money or Wasting Time?. Mer’s post You Don’t Have to Have Money to be Rich was a top pick.

Rounding out the week, Coming to a Nursery Near You hosted this week’s Carnival of the Recipes, which focused on barbecue sauce. The next time we have fried chicken, I’m looking forward to throwing this recipe together; I might try this one tomorrow on the pork roast in our freezer. Our own WTFBBQ was featured.

Thanks to all the hosts and participants - it was a great week. Have a great weekend - see you Monday!

Every Wednesday is Domestic Science day at Living Behind the Curve.

This is Mer’s favorite SRSLY recipe, and occupies our slow cooker as often as twice a week. This has a rather substantial yield: we usually get one night’s dinner, the next day’s lunch, and additional leftovers out of one batch.

The yams offer a nice sweetness to balance out the heat of the curry, and it’s a surprisingly light meal, considering the density of the ingredients. We serve it over basmati rice, but it is equally good over cous cous or even noodles. If the heat bothers you, scale back on the curry powder or top the dish with sour cream or plain yogurt for a nice refreshing twist.

Curried Chicken with Yams

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken legs and thighs, skin on, or 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, cut into strips
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/3 cup curry powder*
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 yams, cut into 1″ cubes

Slow Cooker Method
Combine all ingredients and simmer on low for 4-6 hours.

Stove-top Method
Sautee onion, garlic, and ginger in about a tablespoon of butter or oil until fragrant.  Stir in spices.  Add chicken and lightly brown on both sides.  Add yams and pour chicken stock over pot contents.  Cover and simmer over medium heat for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

SRSLY Method
Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and freeze.  When ready to cook, place frozen contents in slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

*I use sweet, mild curry powder, usually a homemade concoction, for this recipe, and 1/3 cup is just right for our houshold tastebuds. I wouldn’t recommend using a hot blend in this amount (unless you’re into that sort of thing). Use your own preferences and tastes as a guide, and experiment to find your best blend.